British Columbia Achievement Foundation

We often get caught up in the mundane everyday tasks and get stuck in a rut. One of the best ways to break through a lull is to engage in an activity you are passionate about. Through volunteering, there are numerous of opportunities to apply your skills and passion while helping your community. An example would be if you are passionate about cooking, you may consider volunteering your time at a local soup kitchen.

Passion is one of the main drivers to success because we perform at our best when we truly care about the work that we do. This passion is contagious and will influence the people around us to work harder in achieving the same goal. Channeling all this passion and dedication towards volunteering allows us to be change leaders in the community.

Sometimes the mundane of everyday job takes away the enjoyment of the work. By volunteering with like-minded people who are dedicated to the same goal, you are able to exchange thoughts and encourage one another to continue to enjoy life doing what you love. Going back to the soup kitchen example, if you are surrounded by others who are passionate about food, then you can share recipes and cooking techniques that can be used at the soup kitchen to prepare meals for the less fortunate. At the same time, you can interact with the guests of the soup kitchen to gain their feedback, while learning about their different life experiences.

Volunteering allows us to gain new skill sets that we may not be using everyday. For example, if you are a financial advisor who loves to cook, you may find yourself applying the skills that aren’t from your everyday job, but from your passion. You may be more of a risk taker as a chef and experiment with different ingredients in your recipe, but you may be more cautious in your daily job as a financial advisor. Through volunteering and exploring your passion, you can acquire new skills that could potentially allow you to excel in your daily work routine.

We may not be so lucky in finding the perfect job that aligns with our passion, however, it does not mean that we cannot find excitement and fulfillment in other ways. Look within your community to see where you can volunteer your time doing what you are passionate about and start engaging with like-minded people who shares the same interests as you. You will find the experience rewarding and fulfilling and you may possibly find a way to bring new insights into your career.

Start your journey through the websites below and volunteer in your community.

https://volunteerbc.bc.ca/
https://www.govolunteer.ca/

Volunteering is often characterized as charitable works that we do out of the goodness of our hearts. However, there is often a divide between the want to get involved in something and the fact that our lives are busier than ever, juggling family, school, and work obligations. Sometimes convincing oneself to volunteer is the single biggest hurdle that we face, and it can take quite a bit of effort for a person put themselves out there. But there are tangible benefits to volunteer that are often not communicated or taught to us that should help in making up our minds.

Volunteering builds networks

Networking is a scary word for some people as it conjures up images of painful small talk and awkward silences in between conversations. If this sort of thing is one of your biggest fears, volunteering is a great way to meet people whilst also bypassing some of that awkward small talk with work. It’s often said that the strongest bonds are those that are made when people struggle together for a common goal, and volunteering can build seriously lasting connections with people who have gathered together for a common purpose. Whether it be helping organise a community event, or working at a local pet shelter, you’re bound to meet at least a couple of people who you’ll get along with and can call on for good references and opportunities.
Volunteering looks great on resumes

This one is pretty self-explanatory, but employers (the good ones) will look for holistic candidates generally speaking. For example, if there are two candidates applying for a job who are both generally similar in terms of qualifications, an employer will look for other pieces of information that will help in separating the candidates apart. One of these differentiating factors can often be volunteering experiences as these speak to the personality of the candidate as someone who is more likely to be team player and a go-getter in terms of their work ethics. This factor alone enhances a resume dramatically versus a candidate with no volunteer experiences. Also, as a side note, some of you will cry out at this last point and say that your personality should come out in the cover letter when applying for a job, but the reality is not all employers will have time to read the cover letter in great detail. Furthermore, not all of us are great writers and so if one isn’t confident in their writing, we’ll need another way to communicate our personality in the resume, which is where the volunteer experiences come to the rescue.

Volunteering exposes us to potential careers

For those who are considering career changes, or are looking for jobs, volunteering can sometimes expose us to organisations and groups that be great places to apply for. The key to this, however, is for us to be selective in our volunteering activities as we still have to deal with our daily lives and obligations. The benefit then of volunteering is that we get an “in” with these organisations that can be leveraged when we apply for a job with them. As far as connections go, being able to showcase we have a history with an organisation’s activities enhances our prospects greatly. It also can’t be understated as well that through volunteering, we can learn of possible job postings with organisations faster than others who don’t volunteer.

Conclusion

Society, and sometimes volunteer organisations, don’t often do a great job in communicating the tangible benefits of volunteering and this is an unfortunate reality as it is can enhance our professional lives and brands. Where society often teaches us that charitable works are generous and good to do, these are usually not enough to convince the general person to give up their time and efforts to ideals and vague promises of “good”. Thus, being able to communicate a tangible and professional benefit to volunteering is needed as it truly is an activity that benefits everyone.

Volunteers – people who offer their time to a task and do it wholeheartedly. The role of volunteers is even more vital given the polarization in the world. Many people are capable but only a few are willing- to be committed and nonjudgmental about working. Canadians have risen up to the challenge and on an average contributed more than 2 billion hours annually in the last five years. Most Canadians view volunteering as vital to the societal and economic well-being of the country, with 87% affirming that without volunteering society would suffer, and 75% agreeing that the economy would suffer.

Canadians state two reasons to volunteer: first is for the betterment of community and the second is to use their skills to alleviate the situations because they have been personally affected by the cause. Motivation to volunteer is not always selfless- people do it for hobby, career development or maybe socialization and networking too.

Volunteering can be:

• (Regular) formal volunteering: Giving unpaid help (at least once a month) through groups, clubs or organizations to benefit other people or the environment
• (Regular) informal volunteering: Giving unpaid help (at least once a month) as an individual to people who are not relatives
• Social action: Giving unpaid help to support a community event, campaign or project
• Charitable donation: Donating money to charitable causes

In the past decade, British Columbia has always been in one of the top three states in Canada for average annual donations. The reports from Canadian government also state that most of the volunteering hours are covered by the age group 16-30, followed by age group of 31-55. Most of the volunteering hours per person are covered by people with age greater than 60. Demographics reveal that females are more involved in volunteering than males as females comprise more than 50% of the volunteer pool. A survey on 7000 volunteers in north America indicated the following results:

• 89% of respondents agreed that they care about more than one cause
• 84% volunteer at least a few times a year
• 83% are at least somewhat more willing to donate to an organization where they volunteer
• 80% give 2 to 5 hours per week when volunteering
• 78% say that understanding their impact keeps them engaged
• 75% volunteer at one or more organizations per year

Volunteers are looking for a two-way win-win street and are willing to work for an organization based on:

• Cause and mission of organization
• Application of transferable skills to volunteering role
• Ability to be recruited by organizations they are working for
• Ability to work online
• Networking opportunities
• Commitment of the organization to volunteer safety

The most preferred places/ organizations to volunteer are:

• Animal Shelters
• Food Pantries
• Women and Humanity based organizations (included people that made impacts on communities)
• Art Museums
• Retirement Homes
• Red Cross

Most of the non-profit work is not done single-handed. With the advancement of technology, more volunteering opportunities and training are created in online volunteering opportunities. These online activities are increasingly preferred due to flexibility and ease of working. Multi-sector partnerships are important as almost 30% of the volunteers started through their employer in some capacity. Many Canadians volunteer overseas, bringing support and best practices to developing countries, but then return and get engaged as committed volunteers in their home communities. As time and resources have become more limited and there is a formalized risk management, the collaboration with other non-profits has proved to be more necessary.

How to start volunteering:

• Spend time researching options and start watching for opportunities (watch Volunteer BC, charity village etc. for opportunities). These organizations also provide with training and resources to the [to-be] volunteers.
• Once you actually find something you’re interested in, ask for a tour (if possible), talk about the position, and get as many details as possible.
• Don’t feel shy to refuse it if you feel that it is not a fit for you.

Summary:

More than 50% of the Canadians are engaged in one or the other type of volunteering. The lead is taken by women as they contribute more than 50% of volunteering pool and volunteering hours. Once someone starts volunteering at a young age (16-25), there is a very high probability that the person will continue volunteering. Younger Canadians are more likely to volunteer than older Canadians. Lack of time is the most commonly reported barrier to volunteering but the advent of technology and remote-working is alleviating these effects. More people are willing to work in an organization based on transferable skill set, networking and future opportunities in addition to the cause and mission of the organization.

*All the figures mentioned in this report are from 2017, 2018 reports of the Canadian government and charity village